Quite possibly the most surprising team in the 2019-2020 season so far has been the San Francisco 49ers. While most other teams have remained in about the same spot as they had a season ago, with the Patriots still undefeated and the Dolphins still winless, the 49ers have begun to stir the pot in the NFC with what seems like a Superbowl caliber team for the next few years. Last year, the were a measly 4-12 team, overshadowed by the many other sports teams in the Bay Area that were staking their claim as the best in their sport. This year, however, the tides have changed, as San Fran has ushered in a new style of football to the Bay, with a ground and pound, in-the-trenches play-style that has propelled the 49ers to an unlikely 8-0 start after squeaking by their division rival the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 28-25.
You might be wondering what has caused all of these changes to the 49ers. To put it simply, game planning and play-style. After obtaining the foremost offensive mastermind in football’s last decade, the 49ers have been able to run a high paced, yet run powered, offense with the likes of Kyle Shannahan calling the plays. With offensive weapons in George Kittle, Tevin Coleman, and the recent acquisition of Emmanuel Sanders, San Francisco has been able to amp up their offense into an offensive powerhouse, averaging nearly 30 points per game. Although their offense might seem like the heart of their team, the 49ers have managed to create a stellar defense comparable to their lights out defense in former coach Jim Harbaugh’s Super Bowl run with the team to lead their team. Only 1 difference, age. Harbaugh’s Super Bowl team was primarily able to shut down opponents with veteran strategies and aging superstars. This current team, however, has been able to rattle off 7 straight wins with young, agile, instinctive, soon-to-be pro bowlers and quite possibly playoff winners. With the likes of Nick Bosa, Richard Sherman, DeForest Buckner, and Arik Armstead, the 49ers have set themselves up for the future while incorporating seasoned veterans like Sherman in to keep the young, impulsive roster level-headed. At the helm is Robert Saleh, a seemingly unknown coach until this year, leading arguably the best defense in the league with effective play calling on all 3 levels of the defense
Looking at the back half of their seemingly mediocre schedule thus far, the 49ers will be facing a plethora of tough teams, including the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams, both division rivals, the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers, the 2 NFC teams most believe are better than the undefeated 49ers, and the Baltimore Ravens, an AFC powerhouse that thwarted San Fran in a SuperBowl just a couple years prior. Although skeptics may believe that this 49ers team may break down in the back half of the season, the Bay’s very own has continued to prove otherwise with a lights out defense and an explosive offense.